The brazen midday attack highlighted ongoing violence in Afghanistan and the determination of the insurgency to continue fighting even as President Hamid Karzai and the U.S. negotiate for a quicker pullout of American forces.

A minivan drove into a gate of the intelligence agency compound in the capital at noon and exploded in a blast that was heard throughout downtown. A second minivan pulled up, and five attackers wearing explosive vests jumped out and tried to storm the gate, police said.

Security forces killed the five attackers and defused explosives found in the second van, police said.